Middleton of the Dead
by halofreak
Summary: Middleton is attacked by a swarm of undead creatures and kim and Ron must fight to survive while trapped in middleton high school. KR KPResident evil crossover.
1. the arising

Ron stared at the clock intently, seeming as though when he wanted it to speed up it slowed down by that much more. Ron stared over at Kim, studiously taking notes in her binder. He had known Kim since he was four years old but he still couldn't understand how she could be interested in some thing so freakishly boring.  
  
Mr. Barkin was like a robot however, built to discipline, and seemed to be able to see through walls. Ron noticed to late however that the massive school teacher had stopped lecturing and was scoping in on his half- sleeping self.  
  
"Hey, Ron," Kim whispered over, attempting to rescue him. It was to late however as the ground seemed to shake with the advancing teacher.  
  
"Stopabble," Mr. Barkin said quietly, staring at Ron's shivering form. "You know what's coming so I'll save my breath, after school, same room as usual." He growled.  
  
Ron breathed out a breath of sheer relief as the teacher moved slowly back to the front of the room. "Why are you so happy Ron, you just got detention." Kim said out of the corner of her mouth. "It's a lot better then being yelled at by Mr. Barkinater over there," Ron said back.  
  
The bell suddenly rang through the class, ending the monotonous atmosphere in the room. "I'll call you later, ok Ron," Kim said as they headed for the door. "You bet, as soon as possible, possible.  
  
Kim chuckled at the goofy boy walking next to her, kin she always felt a warm feeling inside knowing he would always be there.  
  
"Hold up people, you can't leave just yet," Barkin shouted over the chattering students. Everyone halted in their steps, not daring to disobey. "There is a critical situation down in Lowerton, the call wasn't very clear but were officially on a city wide lock down until the situation is resolved. "Meaning." Ron said slowly. "Meaning you must stay here until the lock down is lifted." Barkin answered with a groan.  
  
"Students remain calm and do not leave your classes; we will update you on the situation as soon as possible." A voice said over the P.A. system." "I guess were stuck here," Kim said, sitting back down in her desk. A few minutes went by, the students quietly chatting amongst themselves. Mr. Barkin had left the class soon after the announcement; he said he had some duty he had to do. Nobody objected, but a teacher leaving a class during a lock down was breaking severe rules.  
  
It had been fifteen minutes and he had not come back yet. "Where do you think Mr., Barkin went," Kim asked Ron. "Who cares, he can be gone forever for all I care." Ron answered back. Kim understood Ron's harshness, as Mr. Barkin wasn't his favorite person in the world.  
  
The calm of the classroom was broken by a loud scream seeming to increase in volume the longer it was heard, suggesting it was someone running. Kim ran to the door, forgetting the lock down procedure, someone needed help.  
  
Kim turned the handle and stuck her head into the hall; Ron was close behind her as well as the rest of the class who were getting curious. Kim took one step out of the room and saw a figure stumble pushing himself backwards on his elbows and yelling incoherently at something around the corner.  
  
The thing stepped into view suddenly and Kim felt her blood run cold. The creature looked roughly humanoid if you buried a human corpse and dug it up a month later. The thing had greenish skin that was peeling in different places, a blackish liquid flowing from several large blisters on its outstretched arms, the things mouth hung open longingly, a thick gelatinous fluid flowing down its dried lips.  
  
Then the zombie creature lunged at the helpless boy in front of it. Ron let out a low shriek of terror as the flailing student screamed, trying to knock the abomination off, until it ripped out his throat in a bloody stream of motion.  
  
Kim reeled back and slammed the door shut, not believing what she just witnessed. "What the hell was that?!" Someone yelled. The wet meaty sounds continued outside as the students backed away from the door. Kim was breathing heavily, her nerves on edge as a loud moaning sound was heard out in the hall.  
  
A pair of arms wrapped around Kim's waist from behind causing her to jump slightly. She looked behind her shoulder and saw it was only Ron. His breathing was heavier then hers and she could tell he was even more terrified then her. She figured he needed someone to just be with so she stood in his embrace trying to calm him.  
  
More moans could be heard outside the door as several students pushed the teacher's desk in front of the door. There was another door on the other side of the class that led to the same hallway so they piled a few desks in front of it. The undead zombies shuffled outside of the class, apparently unable to understand the concept of a door knob.  
  
Kim and Ron sat in the corner of the class trying to understand what was happening. Trying to figure out what and where those things came from. "I'm betting Drakken," Ron said finally. "I don't know, Drakken has never done anything so grisly before." Kim replied. "Maybe it was DNAmy, that thing looked like it was once human as if it had been raised from the dead, sounds like something she would do," Kim said.  
  
Their conversation was disturbed however, as a loud BANG was heard at the door. Ron jumped out of his seat, backing away from the door. The other thirty or so teenagers in the room also backed away as another BANG was heard, leaving a large crack down the windows glass panel.  
  
Kim stared at the door, willing it to hold as if the weight of her desire would some how strengthen the doors integrity. No such luck though as the door shattered and in it came.  
  
Kim had seen a lot of weird things on her missions from building sized poodles to mutant Rhino-rabbits but nothing she had seen could prepare her for what slithered in to class that dark afternoon. It crawled on the ceiling with four sets of sharp glistening talons, a long elongated body with two pairs of hunched legs extended perpendicular to its body. Its head had no features except bits of pink, exposed brain matter and a curling mouth lined with massive teeth. The thing looked like a giant lizard.  
  
The entire class stood stiff with fear as the thing opened its mouth, dark fluid dripping to the floor, and extended a long pink tongue nearly two feet long into the air. A split second later the lizard creature sucked the tongue back in and like a lightning bolt, jettisoned off the ceiling and at its audience.  
  
A freshman named Billy Meyer shrieked as the monster collided into him, as big as he was, and knocked him to the ground. The class yelled in fear as the students ran for the door on the other side of the room. Kim ran and was about to kick the thing when it drove one of it's sharp claws through Billie's heart, he let out a small pathetic cry and went limp, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.  
  
Kim began backing away, Billy already gone, the creature ripping into his body. Kim felt someone grab her hand and pull her. Kim turned and ran with Ron holding her hand tightly. The students were frantically pulling the desks out of the way of the door when another lizard crawled through the shattered door and began advancing on the group.  
  
A student unfortunate enough to be at the back of the crowd was dragged down to the floor screaming words about how it wasn't fair. The door burst open and the students flooded out. Unfortunately two of the lizards were waiting out in the hall and lunged at the first teenagers they saw. A girl and boy went down screaming and crying. The girl flailed under the beast as her best friend screamed her name, staring into her eyes and unable to do anything. Her screaming ceased as a third lizard dropped from the ceiling behind her and clamped its powerful draws around her neck, breaking it.  
  
Kim yelled out to the scattering class in the hall, trying to get them under control. It was no use as students pushed past her, yelling and sobbing as they ran every which way. Kim new the halls weren't safe and pulled Ron into the class room across the hall, it was empty. They stumbled in the class and into the closet shutting the door.  
  
It was a rather pathetic place to hide but Kim hoped it would keep them safe for a little until she could come up with a plan.  
  
They sat on the floor of dark closet holding one another and breathing heavily. Several screams could be heard off in the distance and what sounded like gun shots but they were to far away to tell. Kim hated just sitting her while other people were probably dying. Ron probably felt her uneasiness through the arm around her waist. "You know we can't help them, at least not yet, Kim," Ron said to her.  
  
It was true, they couldn't do anything even if she wanted to, Kim was able to do incredible things but she was still human and didn't know if she could take on one of those monsters let alone five. She also had Ron to consider, he wasn't much of a fighter though he got lucky some times. She didn't want to risk his life however, he meant too much. Kim's arms around Ron tightened and held him as close to herself as possible, never wanting to let him go.  
  
The two eventually fell asleep.  
  
Mr. Barkin spun and pulled the trigger on his 9mm berretta. The bullet struck the zombies forehead and exited the back, blood and bits of brain erupted from the opening as the undead fell to the ground.  
  
He crouched behind a large oak tree and dropped the spent magazine. Pulling a fresh one from his hip holster, he knew they had already gotten to the school. The barricades he and some of the school staff had erected around the entrances were torn apart, by something, something big.  
  
Whatever it was Mr. Barkin hadn't been there to witness it so he could only guess. Large scores of the zombie's now dead bodies littered the field and driveway in front of the school. A putrid smell filled Mr. Barkin's nose as he got closer. If those things smelt bad when they were alive they smelt even worse when they were dead. He jogged past the barriers wreckage and crouched next to Mr. Burns's body, or what was left of it. He pulled Mr. Burns hip holster off of his leg which was probably the only intact part of his body.  
  
He strapped the pack onto his left hip. Mr. Barkin now had two Berettas and three full magazines between the two. He knew he would need more firepower which was why he would have to get back to his office where he kept his secret stash. The school absolutely prohibits the provision of weapons even amongst teachers which is why he had his them in a compartment under the floor of his office.  
  
The teachers he had handed guns out to half an hour ago hadn't seemed to complain then though. Most of them were now dead, trying to fight off the horde of zombies. Most of them had died with dignity though, which made their deaths not so meaningless. "All except you Mr. Burns, I believe you were running away right after you shoved Ms. Downs at the zombies to slow them down." Mr. Barkin said staring at the cowardly teachers dead eyes. "Like it did you much good, seeing as though you're dead now," he concluded before standing up and jogging through the schools shattered entrance.  
  
Kim woke up, all she could see was darkness, her heart sped up a little but then she remembered... The class being attacked and those horrible monsters. She and Ron were hiding in a closet in the aftermath. Ron shifted slightly beside, nuzzling against her neck. Kim could tell he was still asleep and ran a hand through his hair. "Kim." Ron mumbled quietly.  
  
"Are you awake Ron?" Kim asked. "Yeah, I'm here." She heard him say. "I think we should head back out and look for the other students," Kim said. Ron hesitated for a few moments but then answered: "yes."  
  
Slowly Kim opened the closet door and scanned the room. It was as empty as they had left it. The halls were quiet and the lack of people and noise gave the class a desolate feeling. Kim stepped into the class and listened, all she could hear was the steady humming of the AC. Ron came out of the closet behind her still hesitant.  
  
Kim began looking around, for some kind of weapon, anything they could use. Kim couldn't find anything useful that would make a decent weapon, so she would have to rely on her own skill. The door to the hall squeaked a little and a putrid smell entered Kim's nose. It was disgusting, like spoiled meat and throw-up mixed together in an outhouse. She covered her nose and Ron did the same.  
  
The door creaked again causing Kim to look over this time. She saw a boot poke through the opening and then the door was pushed open all the way. Ron took a step back as the zombie moaned, its arms outstretched, slowly shuffling towards him.  
  
"Get out of there Ron!" Kim yelled as she ran towards the zombie. Ron ran to the other side of the class as Kim leapt into the air and kicked the undead in the face with a loud snapping noise. Kim landed gracefully on her feet as the monster toppled to the ground.  
  
Kim brushed her hands together thinking that they weren't that tough after all. Her thoughts quickly died however as the zombie creaked back on to its feet and continued advancing followed by three and then four more, as they shuffled through the door, moaning and reaching for them. Kim slowly stepped back keeping her eyes on the five zombies.  
  
There was only one door to the hall and it was behind the wall of walking gangrenous flesh in front of them. Kim ran forth and punched one of the monsters in the gut and spun a spinning rear kick at another, sending it crashing into the desks. The zombies seemed devoid to pain however as they stood back up and joined the fight.  
  
An undead hand brushed Kim's shoulder and she felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly spun and executed a quick ridge hand strike to its forearm, to her surprise she snapped right through the soft bone. Kim withdrew her hand, a grayish fluid on it. "Uhh," she said as she brushed off the liquid on her jeans.  
  
Ron managed to pick up a desk and heave it at the nearest target. The metal desk struck it in the back sending it forward into a second zombie, both of them collapsed to the floor. A trio of punches to the face from Kim sent a third beast to the floor, dark red blood speckled the white tile floor as the zombies head split open upon impact.  
  
Kim jumped back, avoiding the spray of gore. From the corner of her eye, Kim saw a black figure move swiftly through the door and into to the room. It moved to quickly to be a zombie though. The figure stepped forward, behind the zombies and Kim realized it was human, wearing an all black suit with multiple pouches, satchels, and holsters, along with the glimmer of metal weapons and cartridges. The figure also had a sleek black mask that covered his entire face, green plates of some sort of plastic over his eyes.  
  
The newcomer reached back over his shoulder and pulled forth a glittering, meter long sword with a serrated edge. The three standing zombies began to turn slowly on their axis to face this new potential victim. To Kim's astounding relief the figure stepped forth and slashed the nearest zombie's neck, decapitating it. A thick stream of blood erupted from the base of the neck, like an exhaust for the head that flew straight into the air and then landed with a wet splatter on the floor.  
  
The black-clad savior slashed the other two zombie's necks that had finished turning. The remaining two zombies on the other side of the room had gotten back to their feet by now and were drawing near. The man lowered the sword and reached to his hip with his free hand- and drew a large pistol, aiming at the two zombies. A pair of incredibly loud explosions echoed through the room as the zombie's heads exploded. Their bodies swayed for a few seconds until their knees buckled and they fell to the blood slicked floor.  
  
"Are you two alright?" The man asked, putting away his weapons. "Were fine, thanks to you," Kim said, Ron stepping next to her. The man lifted his face shield, sliding it back into a slot above his head. He had an Asian look and appeared about in his mid-thirties, a clean shaven beard across his chin. "We must move, we don't have much time," the man said peering out the door and looking both ways down the hall.  
  
He pulled forth his pistol, a colt .45, and walked briskly into the hallway waving Kim and Ron forward. "Wait, what's your name?" Ron asked jogging to keep up with the man. "You can call me John," he replied, not taking his eyes off of the space in front of him.  
  
"Where are we going?" Kim asked also jogging. "To the auditorium, there are other survivors there," John replied. John came to a sudden halt and brought his hand up to stop Kim and Ron. John put his back to the wall and peered around the next corner. Kim also looked, she saw the mutant lizards, the same kind that had murdered her classmates and they were feasting on something.  
  
Kim withdrew from the corner and took a deep breath. "What are those things?" Kim whispered. "There called lickers, and if they get your scent on there tongue they will hunt you down until one of you dead is dead." "Unfortunately they are standing directly in front of the auditorium door." John said. He then shoved the colt back into the holster on his hip and pulled a long black shotgun from over his shoulder. Without warning he stepped around the corner and blasted the nearest monster right in the head. It flipped end over end until it came to rest on its back some right against the auditorium door. The second licker gave a shriek and slithered forward, its claws clacking on the tile floor.  
  
John ratcheted the gun and fired another shot. The blast exploded against the front of the beast, shattering its front legs. The licker collapsed, still shrieking, its ropey tongue slithering across the floor. John pumped another round and blew its head apart, splattering its grayish brain matter against the adjacent wall.  
  
Within moments, loud trumpeting shrieks could be heard off in the distance. "They'll be here in a matter of seconds," John said quickly running to the door and knocking on it. The door opened and a man popped his head out. Kim recognized him as Mr. Martin, their Latin teacher. Kim and Ron walked into the auditorium stepping over the oozing corpse of the licker in the doorframe, but John stood by the door waiting with a small black sphere in his hand.  
  
The trumpeting shrieks got louder as nearly half a dozen lickers appeared swarming down the hall to the door. John popped the pin on the device and Kim realized it was a grenade. The swarm of lickers closed in on the door and John tossed the grenade out into the hall and slammed the door shut. He ran from the door as a loud BANG emanated from it. The door was outlined in white for a brief instant and then small wisps of smoke floated from under it. The hall was quiet once again.  
  
Kim averted her eyes from the still smoking door and turned around. People were scattered all around the auditorium, some were shaking and scared, others comforting their friends and family. Most of the people Kim did not recognize, as she began wondering where they all came from. "Who are all these people and what s going on, what were those, who made." Kim had so many questions for the tall man.  
  
"I'll explain everything as I have to so many before," he said patiently. Kim and Ron sat down in the familiar plastic fold-out chairs as John began. "Have you heard of a company called Umbrella?" he asked. "Yeah, they are a pharmaceutical company," Kim said. "Well they have a, shall we say, darker side to them then you may have noticed." John continued. "How dark?" Ron asked. "Biological weapons dark," John answered. "That's pretty dark," Kim said.  
  
"Anyway, this bio weapons company, called white umbrella, has been experimenting with a new type of bio weapon." "John continued, those things out there are a result of it." "Its basically a virus, that infects any living thing, turning them into a mindless creature that's only desire in life is to eat. It's a desire so powerful it consumes every aspect of your being, it is greater then any desire you could possibly feel. Once you contract the disease, there is no cure." He concluded.  
  
The only way you can only be infected if the virus gets in your bloodstream, meaning if you swallow it or get it in your eyes, if you are bitten by one of those things, if you live, you will eventually turn into a zombie, slowly rotting away." He warned.  
  
"You two should be wise to get something and cover your face," he said. Kim and Ron looked around the auditorium and realized everyone of the 4-dozen or so people was wearing a face mask or some other variation of one ranging from T-shirts too what looked like a knee pad. Kim pulled a hanker chief from her back pocket with her initials on the corner, her grandma had made it for her as a gift for her junior year of high school.  
  
A sudden and horrifying thought just filled Kim's mind and shoved anything else out of the way. Her parents and Jim, and Tim. What's happened to them, are they safe or are they. one of them. A tear escaped Kim's eye as a growing sense of dread filled her stomach. Kim quickly wiped away the tear with the hanker chief as Ron come over and asked if she was ok. "I'm fine Ron its nothing," she said, the thought apparently hadn't crossed his mind and she didn't want to give him something else to worry about.  
  
Kim tied the piece of material on to her face, pushing the unpleasant thought as far back as possible. Ron had ripped a strip of cloth from the hem of his shirt.  
  
Kim peered around, the auditorium incredibly quiet, usually very noisy. Not today she thought. And probably never again. It felt like a hurricane shelter as everyone shifted around uneasily. A high-pitched beeping noise was heard coming from a device on John's belt. He snatched up the silver metal box and flipped up a panel on the front.  
  
"Oh shit, we got company," John yelled. "Anybody with a gun gets ready, everyone else on the stage." He ordered. Kim and Ron joined the frantic crowd, running and huddling together on the top of the stage. Ron passed a young man with a small pistol heading to the door, only around twenty, and mumbling prayers. The auditorium shook, as a bone jarring tackle slammed the steal door, bits of plaster falling from the ceiling.  
  
"It's a hunter," John mumbled to himself as he readied the shotgun. Another massive slammed into the door. John heard steel straining under the force and then the ear-splitting rip of metal against metal and the door went flying through the air, crashing in the middle of the seats in a storm of dust. A massive figure was outlined standing in the rubles wake and let forth a deep throaty roar. The impossibly large creature took one earth shaking step forward, now visible.  
  
It stood nearly seven meters on stout webbed feet, incredibly broad shoulders extended into arms so long they nearly touched the floor, the monsters flat toad like head lined with teeth and glistening with a layer of transparent mucus. The beast charge at the six human defenders, crushing anything in its wake.  
  
John slapped down his combat mask and yelled: "let him have it." The surrounding men opened fire, spraying the front of the hunter in a shower of lead. John fired the shotgun, the sound cancelled out over the roar of weaponry around him. John fired again, and then again. The hunter slowed and then came to a complete stop, dozens of bullet holes speckled the hunters green skin, large tears where multiple bullets had hit bleed freely. The beast let out one last deep growl and feel forward, crushing several plastic seats under its sheer weight. John breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his the barrel of his weapon.  
  
His motion tracker, the small silver box, began to beep rapidly once again. John looked at the large hole in the wall and saw two hunters staring back , they lunged. 


	2. The rules of the Playing field

Mr. Barkin arrived at the door to his office a bit on edge. He had to put down two of the human zombies on his way here as well as a disgusting looking thing that looked like a skinned dog. Mr. Barkin regained his composure and reminded himself of the task at hand.  
  
He reached for the door knob to his office and pulled it open, the room dark and musty. He liked the smell of the old military scent of the office. It reminded him of his glory years. Moving over to a small corner of the ten by ten room he stooped down and felt along the floor. Locating the gap, he curled his fingers under and pulled. The small panel gave way and slid out of place.  
  
Mr. Barkin reached into the small lead compartment, he had handed out most of the weapons but they were now strewn across the gore streaked battle field outside. Still he pulled out his favorite gun, the only left in the compartment anyway. It was an M16 automatic assault rifle, firing .223 semi- jacketed rounds from a thirty round magazine.  
  
The rifle smelt of cleaning oil and was well greased. Mr. Barkin also pulled six loaded magazines from the compartment and slipped them in the various slots and pouches on his belt and Kevlar vest, four on the belt and two on the front of the vest. He only had one full magazine left for his Berettas. He opened a box labeled 9mm on the side.  
  
He smiled to himself as he pulled five clips from the box and placed them on his hip holsters. In addition to the guns he also had two fragmentation grenades and a combat knife. Placing a handful of clips, some full, some empty, into his back pack and a load of loose rounds.  
  
The weight of his new equipment renewed Mr. Barkin's morale and he felt very powerful. Mr. Barkin slipped the rifle into a holster built into the back of the vest. It would be more convenient that way so it didn't tie his hands up. Mr. Barkin heard a loud and constant popping noise of in the distance. They sounded like gunshots and a lot of them at that.  
  
"I hope they leave some for me," Mr. Barkin said smiling, as he ran toward the source of the shots.  
  
The hunters split off in different directions, trying to flank the humans. The massive beasts moved with frightening speed, as John tracked the one closing in on the left. He fired the shotgun, the cluster of pellets slammed into the monstrosities shoulder, a wave of blood streamed through the air.  
  
John suddenly realized with horror that the rest of the defenders had not finished reloading yet, and the second hunter was closing in on them. It snatched up one of the hapless humans in its massive clawed hand.  
  
Kim and Ron stared at the poor man screaming for some ones help until a sickening crushing noise was heard as the hunter literally squeezed him to death. The hunter then shoved the mutilated corpse into his mouth and began to feast on it. Kim couldn't take it anymore and rushed off the stage and at the hunter.  
  
She leaped into the air and threw her entire weight into the kick that connected with the hunter's flat face. The green giant reeled back in surprise as Kim rebounded of the floor with another kick to its gut. By now the defenders had finished reloading their weapons and turned to help John fight off the first hunter.  
  
John rolled to the side as the hunter brought its massive fist down and slammed it into the ground. It was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from the beasts skin. Leveling the shotgun John pulled the trigger. and was rewarded with a hollow click. The gun was empty, I'm done for, he thought.  
  
The green giant before him advanced, John only imagining the thoughts running through its head at that very moment. No, I know what its thinking, it wants to eat and it wants me. Knowing he could never clear the hunters massive arm span, trying to dodge would be feudal, as he would simply be snatched up.  
  
Still it was the only thing he could do, so he leaped off the floor with all his might to the left of the hunter. It brought up its massive arm, and John closed his eyes and prepared for the cold, dying feeling of its flesh. that never came.  
  
John landed on the hard tiled floor of the auditorium, sticky with mucus from the hunter's skin. John looked over at the hunter that had stomp right past him, leaving up a perfectly good meal. The broad shoulders of the beast pulsed; it's massive muscled in action as it drove its massive jaws upon one of the defenders, swallowing him from the waist up.  
  
The remaining defenders turned in ran, screaming as the floor was showered with blood. "Wait!" John yelled to the men. But it was no use, there minds were overrun with fear; the only thing on it was escape. The crowd on the auditorium was also scattering, and heading for the exit. They would probably die in minutes as the halls surrounding the auditorium were filled with the undead.  
  
Ron watched as another of the men was snatched up in the creature's teeth, being quickly and mercilessly grinded up by its blood stained teeth. Ron felt the heat around him beginning to dissipate and heard frantic yelling. Looking around, Ron realized the crowd around him was beginning to panic and were already running for what remained of the exit.  
  
"Wait, where are you going?!" Ron called out to no one in particular. "To hell with this, we'll be killed for sure if we stay here!" One of the fleeing survivors yelled back. "Your going to die faster if you go out into those halls, we have a better chance of staying alive if we stick together! "Don't you know who my friend Kim Possible is, she can protect you!" Ron added as the man raced for the door. "You mean her?" The man called back before disappearing through the door.  
  
Ron turned his gaze over to where the man had pointed and saw Kim, on the floor crawling with a small trail of red behind her, the giant creature closing in on her prone form. "Kim!" Ron yelled as he looked around for something, anything to help her with. Ron grabbed a two-foot long metal pole from the floor and hurled it with all his might at the lumbering monstrosity.  
  
The iron rod connected with its back with a wet smack. A small trickle of dark blood flowed from the small wound as the hunter turned to face this newcomer. "That's right, you get your ugly face over here, and I'm the one you want!" Ron yelled at the beast trying to get its attention.  
  
The hunter wasn't the smartest creature to walk the earth but it had a killer's instinct. If it went after the live prey and killed it, he could return whenever he wanted to the wounded one since it wasn't going anywhere, therefore he would have more food. The small thought ran through the hunter's miniscule brain and it went into action. Stomping away from Kim it bounded toward Ron, standing some distance away on the auditorium stage.  
  
"Ron what are you doing, get out of here!" Kim yelled at him weakly, her leg burning from the ragged flesh wound. She mentally slapped herself for being so careless, but she never thought something so massive could move with such speed and reflexives. Whoever had created the monster must have been a genius, A sick genius, Kim thought.  
  
Ron was too shocked to even move as he covered his head and braced himself for the hunter's blind fury that would soon envelope who he was. At least Kim might escape and keep on living. Ron thought, covering his face. Then a loud and rapid crack was heard blasting though Ron's ears. Ron peered up and saw the hunter, frozen where it stood, and missing its head.  
  
The limp body tipped forward and landed on the floor with a thunderous crash. Standing to his feet a bit shakily, Ron searched around looking for where the gunfire had come from. He looked up and saw a figure dressed in fatigues and an olive drab vest running down from the smoldering door. As the man got closer Ron almost couldn't believe his eyes. It was Mr. Barkin, he was alive and had just saved his life, the large rifle in his arms still smoking.  
  
Over to his left, John was standing near the corpse of the second hunter, wiping his sword clean with a rag. Suddenly Ron remembered Kim was injured and he bolted down from the stage, running past Mr. Barkin before he could even get a word in edgewise. He approached Kim slowly, she was propped up against the wall, her eyes closed but she was still breathing.  
  
"Kim, where are you hurt, Ron asked crouching near her. "My, my leg," she said weakly. "Don't worry, were going to fix you up, you'll be fine KP," Ron said gently to her. Mr. Barkin and John quickly arrived to help. Mr. Barkin pulled out a field medical kit from his backpack and dug out some dressings, Neosporin and a squirt bottle of water.  
  
Kim winced as he squirted the water into the two long and deep lacerations on her left shin. She leaned back into Ron's arms as she felt him wrap his hands around her waist to brace her from spasms. She rested her head on his chest while Mr. Barkin applied the gauze to her leg. "How do you feel Kim," Ron whispered in her ear. "I've been better." She said back, managing to crack a smile.  
  
The auditorium was all quiet, multiple screams and shrieks could be heard off in the distance of the halls from the foolish people who thought they were safe by fleeing.  
  
Sam sat still in the darkness, the screams beginning to subside. It had been horrible, when everyone fled from the auditorium everyone split into different directions. He had followed one group but they had been ambushed by a pack of want appeared to be skinned dogs. He had locked himself up in one of the dark classrooms in the confusion. The ambush had happened about twenty minutes ago and Sam was sure everyone was dead by now or may have escaped.  
  
Sam crept for the glass-paneled door and listened. Nothing but silence was want came to Sam's straining ears. Still a bit nervous, Sam grasped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. A foul odor immediately bombarded his nose as he reeled back a bit in surprise; Sam also noticed a small patch of red blood on the floor. Ignoring the stench, Sam stepped out into the hallway and looked around. Sam now realized the blood was everywhere; it was on the floor, the walls, the ceiling.  
  
The lights of the hall suddenly dimmed so as to barely illuminate the hall. Sam felt his heart beginning to rapidly beat against the wall of his chest. He put his back to the lockers lining the walls, his eyes darting from one shadow to the next, and the gore drenched hall imprinting itself into his mind.  
  
A low moan was heard and Sam snapped his head to the left at the source and saw a crumpled figure edging its way toward him, slowly extending one grasping arm as it pulled itself along with the other. Sam took a few steps back, keeping one hand on the wall to steady his trembling body. The crawling thing came into the dim light and Sam got a good look at its face.  
  
Well most of it at least, half of the zombies face was missing as it trudged along, to weak and decayed to stand. The pitiful creature crawled slowly on, devoid of the world around it. Sam heard more moans coming from down the lonely hall way. Not sticking around to see the source, Sam ran back in the direction of the auditorium and took a right down the hall and burst though a set of double doors.  
  
The cool air outside brushed against Sam's face as he landed on the concrete ground. The doors slammed shut behind him. Sam grabbed a large stick from a small pile of building supplies nearby and shoved it through the wooded stake through the door handles. The zombies didn't have the strength to break through and weren't smart enough to go around.  
  
Sam stood looking around and began thinking of his next move. To his left a path ran parallel to the high school building and intersected at a perpendicular angle to another covered path. There were actually three school buildings. The path Sam was standing on went straight and ended in a door to the front school building. The path also veered off to the right through a large open courtyard.  
  
On the left of the path was the entrance to the main office. Sam decided to try the office and hopefully find some of the faculty still alive. He ran down the path, turned left and pushed through the double doors.  
  
Kim's injuries weren't bad enough to cause her any permanent damage and after a few minutes of resting she was able to walk without any assistance. The group had to move as the auditorium would be swarming soon once the undead caught a whiff of the fresh meat. The auditorium had a pair of smaller doors on each side but they were locked, so the only way out was through the main entrance.  
  
John stood with his reloaded shotgun at his side. The hole in the wall was charred and black from the grenade, the bodies of the lickers were buried among the rubble that the hunters had left. The entrance of the auditorium was located at the top of a small flight of stairs only a few feet above the ground. In front of him was the schools central courtyard; It was a square with concrete paths bordering the outer edges and a planted area in the center. On the left side of the courtyard were a gate and a door that led to the cafeteria. The gate led to the spill out, a large paved area where students sat after lunch.  
  
On the right side was the door to the front school building and the main office as well as another path leading around the side of the auditorium. On the far side of the courtyard was a gate leading to the parking lot. "Lets try the main office, see if anyone is still alive," Ron said. They trekked down the stairs and to the door.  
  
Mr. Barkin stepped into the darkness, the light from the outside stopping a few feet into the room. Waving the barrel of the M16 left and right searching and listening for any signs of movement, Mr. Barkin felt along side the wall with his free hand. Mr. Barkin located the switch and flicked it up. The ceiling lights powered up and cast a dull orange glow on the office. Mr. Barkin wondered why the lights were running on minimal power as he carefully led the group into the small corridor.  
  
Sam could not locate a light switch on the wall so he pulled a miniature flashlight from his pocket that he carried just for certain circumstances. He flicked the small device on and waved it back and forth searching for anything, anything at all that would indicate someone was alive. Cautiously moving between the multiple desks, Sam realized the place was trashed. Cabinets were hanging open, desks were turned over, and there were so many papers on the floor it looked like it snowed indoors.  
  
A foul smell woke up Sam's nose and he recognized it as the scent of the undead. Sam immediately shined the light around, searching for the creature in the darkness, knowing at any moment it could lunge at any moment and he would never know what happened. Then he saw it and gave a long sigh of relief, the smell was indeed coming from a zombie but a lifeless one, a harmless one, Sam thought.  
  
Moving closer to the dried body sprawled on the floor; Sam realized it had been dead for a pretty long time. A patch of dried blood was splattered in a puddle under its fetid head, confirmed Sam's suspicion. Sam noticed the head was blown open with the consistency of a powerful bullet. Some bodies been here Sam thought to himself. Maybe it was the police or the S.W.A.T. team, here to help us and take us to safety. Stop being so naïve and don't jump to conclusions just yet.  
  
Sam continued to search around the large U shaped room, constantly glimpsing back at the corpse on the floor, expecting it to rise and grab him from behind without a sound. A low groan caused Sam to spin around in surprise, his eyes instantly going down to the dead zombie. The moan had come from its direction but the zombie remained as still as when he came in.  
  
Suddenly the overhead lights flickered on and illuminated the dark and cold room. "Hey you!" A booming voice shouted from behind Sam. Sam spun and spotted the owner of the voice.  
  
Kim had never seen the boy who was standing in the middle of the room but he seemed relatively calm when Mr. Barkin called out his name. Lowering his rifle, Mr. Barkin proceeded over to the boy and asked his name. "My name is Sam Lovell," the boy said. "Man I'm glad to see you Mr. Barkin, at least there are still some people alive," Sam said relieved.  
  
Kim and Ron stepped forward, John following up the rear. Sam looked over and recognized one as Ron Stoppable, an odd boy that always seemed to be stumbling over his own feet; the other was Kim Possible, only the biggest crush of his life. The last figure was a man dressed in some sort of black spec-ops suit with a black helmet and toting a shotgun.  
  
The moan rung through Sam's ears again causing him to back up behind Mr. Barkin. Sam realized it didn't come from the zombie but from a door, standing ajar a few feet away. "Cover me John," Mr. Barkin said edging toward the door with the rifle drawn forward. Mr. Barkin reached the door and grasped the handle giving John a hand signal.  
  
John crouched behind an overturned desk directly in front of the door, ready to blow away whatever was dead but still walking. Mr. Barkin took a breath and pulled the door. open, and the worst smell imaginable flooded into the room nearly knocking John out. "Whew man, that's the worst one yet,' Ron said covering his nose. John lowered his face mask and moved in a crouched position into the room.  
  
The scene was horrifying, the room was painted with blood and their were bodies, dead and lifeless, they had the gangrenous and rotting flesh of the living dead. and the moan was heard once again louder then ever as John jerked the barrel of the shotgun at a corner of the room. A man was slouched in the corner; a pistol clutched in is hand.  
  
Kim stepped into the room and recognized the man as Principal Emerson, his normally spotless suit was covered in blood, it was allover his face also. John suddenly jerked the barrel of his shotgun at Emerson's forehead and shouted out an order: "Get out of here now!" Kim stumbled back out of the room. Mr. Barkin quickly closed the door as Kim stood with Ron and Sam with a puzzled look on her face.  
  
A few moments went by and a loud BOOM emanated from the office, causing Kim, Ron, and Sam to jump in surprise. The door of the office opened and John walked out, the shotgun smoking.  
  
"You shot him?!" Kim yelled in anger. "Why did you kill. murder him?!" Ron yelled, adding his anger to Kim's. "I had no choice," John said slowly. "He was infected with the virus, he would have turned into one of those things any minute now," John said, gesturing at the zombie lying on the floor. "Don't think I won't hesitate to kill anyone of you if you get infected," John said forcefully. "I expect you to do the same for me," John added on a calmer note.  
  
Kim understood John's reasoning, Mr. Emerson was going to become a zombie anyway so by getting rid of him now it was one less undead freak for them to deal with; a sudden thought ran through Kim's mind causing her to let out a subtle gasp. "John when the hunter cut me, doesn't that mean I'm infected?" Kim said dreading the answer.  
  
"You have nothing to worry about, only the human zombies carry the contagious form of the virus," John said. Kim let out a long relieved breath.  
  
"Come on people lets secure this area as we may be here a while." Mr. Barkin said taking charge of the situation. The office had a total of three entrances, all 2-inch thick metal doors equipped with deadbolts. The windows in the multiple offices were already reinforced with steel shudders for hurricane protection.  
  
Mr. Barkin engaged the last dead bolt, the well lubricated steel rod sliding into its slot with a satisfying click. John located a map of the school in the drawer of one of the desks and laid it out on a large circular table. The map showed that the office they were held up in was at the center of the school. The main school building was to the East, the side building was to the south and the front building was to the west. The gym, auditorium, and cafeteria were located in a large complex to the North. The office connected to those buildings through the central courtyard. The three school buildings connected to the office by pathways.  
  
"We should try to get the power back up as soon as possible, so it will be easier to see what were shooting at," Mr. Barkin said stepping over to the three teens and spec-ops trooper. "We also need to search for survivors and gather some supplies since we don't know how long were going to be stuck here." John added.  
  
"I'll head over to the cafeteria and see what I can find," Mr. Barkin said, his stomach giving a low growl. "I'll look for survivors," John added. "Any volunteers to try and get the power back up," Mr. Barkin said to the teenagers around him. Kim quickly stepped forward and winced as she put to much pressure on her leg.  
  
"You're in no condition to go out there," Ron said placing a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I'll go Ron," said puffing his chest out. "You've saved my life countless times Kim, well now its time for me to step up." Ron said boldly. Kim spun and hugged Ron tightly; "You better come back her alive, and I don't mean as a zombie," Kim whispered into his ear.  
  
"Hey Stoppable, catch," Mr. Barkin said. Ron released Kim and caught the berretta Mr. Barkin tossed to him. "Do you know how to use one of those things?" Mr. Barkin asked. "I can learn how," Ron said gripping the plastic grip. Mr. Barkin sighed and went over to show Ron how to fire the weapon before he shot himself.  
  
John pulled out motion tracker and looked at the luminescent green screen. There wasn't any movement besides their own.  
  
"So you understand the gun won't shoot when this latch here, the safety, is on?" Mr. Barkin asked Ron. "Yeah Mr. B and this releases the magazine that holds fifteen rounds." Ron said. "Good, aim for the head and don't waste your ammunition," Mr. Barkin said, slipping a pair of clips into Ron's back pocket. "Watch yourself kid," he added saluting.  
  
"You to Mr. Barkin," Ron said; Mr. Barkin isn't that bad Ron thought. With one last wave, and their final words of encouragement, the three took off, Kim and Sam re-bolting the doors behind them. Kim sat down and rested her leg; Sam came and sat on another chair across from her.  
  
"So Kim, tell me about you," Sam said. 


	3. A change of plans

As soon as Ron and Mr. Barkin were out of sight John quickly jogged out into the large courtyard that was bisected by a concrete path leading to the south side building. Miguel had actually done his job correctly and was somewhere in the school, or maybe he's dead, John thought, he has served his purpose already. Miguel was the guy who had sabotaged the schools power systems.  
  
John pulled out a small can of plastic explosive from his pack and sprayed a small amount of the fizzing yellow foam onto the lawn. The spray hardened instantly as John plunged a metal detonator into the small mound of foam.  
  
It's a good thing those people didn't even ask me how I knew so much about umbrella, or I may have had to kill them, John though as he stepped behind a concrete wall. John would do anything to get the job done but he was not an assassin for this particular job; He would not kill another human being unless absolutely necessary.  
  
Flipping up the cover on the small cylindrical device, John clenched his teeth for the resulting explosion. He pushed the small red button and a loud WHOOF was heard, muffled by the steel door but still shook John's bones. John waited a few seconds then pulled open the steel door and stepped back out into the side courtyard. A smoking hole that only the blind couldn't see sat on one side of the concrete path. The hole was about six feet in diameter and three feet deep.  
  
The plastic explosives weren't the best or cleanest way to get to the trap door buried under the ground but it sure beat the crap out of digging with a shovel. John jumped into the hole and brushed aside so of the loose dirt with his gloved hands. John searched the bottom of the entire hole and thought he may have blew up the wrong spot or he had to go deeper when his hands felt cold metal.  
  
John eagerly brushed away the dirt around the edge of the three by three foot iron door and dug his fingers underneath. He heaved upward and the heavy door creaked on its long-oiled hinges. A dark shaft led downward with a ladder on one side. John pulled himself on the first rung and began his slow descent.  
  
Ron had reached the power room after a short trek down school. He had exited the main office and into the central courtyard where he had left Mr. Barkin. Taking a left he ran down the corridor that wrapped around the side and back of the auditorium. Ron stopped at a locked gate that extended all the way up to the ceiling. The gate led into the spill out area, the large paved space now a desolate wasteland, devoid of teenagers.  
  
Ron's destination however was the door beside him. The large blue metal door was labeled: power room, authorized personal only. "I guess I'm one of those persons." Ron said as he pulled at the heavy door. Surprisingly the door slid cleanly on its hinges toward Ron. "That's weird, I thought the thing would be locked and I would have to run all over creation looking for the key," Ron said humorously. "I guess my luck has changed," he said.  
  
Keeping Mr. Barkin's berretta pointing forward Ron slowly crept into the room. The lights in the room were already on and glowing dully. There were two large generators that distributed power to the school placed in the center of the dank room. Each one had a control panel on the side. Ron stepped over to the first generators power panel, placing the pistol in his pocket. A pair of gauges was placed on the panel, one labeled: input, and the other labeled: output. The needle on the input gauge was all the way to the right and pointing to the green area of the gauge. The output gauge however was all the way in the red.  
  
A quick check of the second generator however showed the output gauge was in the green as much as the input gauge. "Ok, so generator number one over here is the problem." Ron didn't know much about electronics so he stood for a few minutes on how to go about fixing the problem.  
  
He noticed multiple metal tubes extending from the generators all seemed to feed into a large metal box on the wall labeled: distribution grid. Maybe the problem is in there Ron thought.  
  
His thoughts however were interrupted by a low moaning noise coming from straight behind him. Ron quickly spun around and backed away from the open doorway. He reached for the berretta and raised it with a shaky hand. The figure stumbled into view and Ron new it was a zombie. The creature shuffled forward toward him and Ron recognized the person.  
  
Placing his free hand under his gun hand Ron steadied his aim. "Sorry about this Bonnie, buts it's either you or me," Ron said as he pulled the trigger.  
  
Mr. Barkin dropped the spent magazine and loaded a fresh one into the rifles receiver. He recycled the bolt as he searched the cafeteria for more targets. When he entered the room he had stumbled across a pack of giant sized scorpions that just kept getting up no matter how much he shot them; until he used a grenade that is.  
  
He was crouched behind the serving counter, the remains of the lunch ladies a few feet away. A horde of the zombies shuffled stupidly across the floor, trying to negotiate the multiple tables and overturned chairs. There not going anywhere fast Mr. Barkin thought as he crawled through the doorframe and into the kitchen, careful to stay out of sight.  
  
Once the door swung back, Mr. Barkin stood and surveyed the large kitchen. With all the freakishly wrong things he has seen tonight, Mr. Barkin half expected some conscious man being dissected on a table here in this kitchen. Stepping forward Mr. Barkin made his way to the pantry. He reached for the knob and stopped.  
  
He had seen enough horror films to know that whenever someone opens a pantry or closet, something is just waiting inside to spring itself upon them. Instead Mr. Barkin stood and holstered the rifle and drew his sidearm. With the gun in one hand Mr. Barkin stood to one side of the door and turned the handle.  
  
He pulled the door open towards him, his body hidden by the door, and just as he had expected a figure tumbled to the space where he had been standing moments ago. Mr. Barkin trained his pistol on the back of the figures head but as it turned over he realized it was human.  
  
Not only was he human it was Mr. Herman, one of the schools three cooks. "Barkin, you're, you're alive," he said frantically. Mr. Barkin's eyes trailed down to the man's right arm, it had a piece of blood stained cloth tied to it on the bicep. "Where did you get that wound?" Mr. Barkin asked, ignoring all of Mr. Herman's questions. "What? Oh this wound, one of those zombies bit me but I managed to get away before they surrounded me and I've been hiding here since." He said in one breath.  
  
Mr. Barkin's gaze stayed glued to the man's arm as he babbled on. What had John said? That if you get bitten by one of those things you get a virus and there is no cure; that you will eventually turns into a zombie yourself? Mr. Barkin understood now, this man was infected and must be dealt with. "Mr. Herman I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to live any longer," Mr. Barkin said firmly as cocked the berretta.  
  
"What are talking about-"was all he could say before Mr. Barkin put a bullet between his eyes. "Your better off that way," Mr. Barkin quietly. Suddenly the Kitchen door burst open as a horde of the undead spilled into the room. "Shit!" Mr. Barkin said as he raised his hand gun and opened fire on the crowd. His first shot went wide and ricocheted off a pan, causing a loud zinging noise to echo though the confined room. The second and third shots however punched through the zombies head and throat.  
  
A gurgling sound came from deep in its throat as it slumped forward with a fizzing green liquid flowing freely down its face. The second zombies head exploded as Mr. barkin put a round through its eye socket. The last zombie slumped next to its fallen brethren from another headshot.  
  
Mr. Barkin ran forward and threw his weight against a large serving table, shoving it in front of the closed door, before any more of the grisly creatures could stumble through. The loud noise of rapping fingers against the door filled Mr. Barkin's ears as he ran back to the pantry. Moaning and groaning from maybe dozens of zombies could be heard outside the barricaded door.  
  
Inside the pantry were various foods, all standard school issue, meaning it wasn't very good. A large burlap sack of potatoes sat in one corner of the small room. Mr. Barkin pulled open the bag and emptied about half of the potatoes out onto the floor "Let's get some variety in our diets, shall we," Mr. Barkin said to himself as he pulled very containers of pasta, fruits, canned meat, and biscuits. The heavy burlap sack weighed a good twenty five pounds now as Mr. Barkin hefted up on his shoulder. Steeping over Mr. Herman's corpse, Mr. Barkin proceeded over to the freezer.  
  
He pulled open the heavy metal door and peered inside the chilled compartment. He threw a few packets of processed cheese, cartons of milk, and juice. Mr. barkin left the mound of wrapped ice cream alone however, as it would simply become a melted mess in the sack.  
  
Throwing the large sack over his shoulder Mr. Barkin peered at the kitchen door, a crowd of undead eagerly waiting to welcome him through by ripping him apart. Instead of wasting his last grenade on dusting the crowd, he opted for the more sneaky approach. The kitchen had a back door that opened up to the front of the school. He could go around the side and back through the main entrance to the office.  
  
He approached the locked door and slid the bolt back into place. He reached for the knob with his free hand and pulled the door open. He stuck his head out into the crisp air, still smelling heavily of rotting meat. Moving quickly along the wall Mr. Barkin averted his gaze from the dozens of bodies scattered across the field.  
  
The sun was beginning to set, casting a dreamlike glow over the school and surrounding buildings. Mr. Barkin never really watched sunsets because he was always working and rushing around. However he stopped, staring at the mix of colors in the clouds, it was very beautiful, and to think he never stopped to admire it.  
  
A loud screech tore him out of his trance and his instincts kicked. Mr. Barkin felt a change in the air to his left and without even looking he dived forward, dropping the burlap sack and pulling the M16 over his shoulder. He landed on his stomach, rolled over onto his back and saw a massive, winged beast drive its beak into the concrete wall he had been standing next to. The beak had speared right into the concrete and must have been incredibly sharp.  
  
The creature itself looked like a massive pterodactyl, that was bigger then twice over; It's beady black eye stared at Mr. Barkin intently, as it tried to free its beak from the wall. Mr. Barkin raised his rifle and let loose an automatic spray of .223s into its beady black eye. The bullets tore through the prehistoric bird's skull and sprayed the wall with red blood, and bits of bone.  
  
The monsters body slumped to the ground, twitching. The beak was still lodged into the wall, no longer attached to the beasts head. More of the high pitched screeches echoed from the distance, among the surrounding buildings. Mr. Barkin snatched up the burlap sack and ran the rest of the way into the schools shattered entrance.  
  
John lowered himself and his feet felt firm ground once again. The bottom of the corridor opened up into a small room with a single door on one side. At the bottom of the ladder, was a small, brightly marked button. John lowered his face mask and activated his built in night vision. The small room was a pale and ghostly green from John's point of view. He hurried over and tapped a switch next to the door.  
  
The door slid to the side and revealed a small platform with a single rail on one side. John stepped onto the cramped platform and tapped a green button on the wall. The small platform began to slowly descend. This was the only way to access the bomb cache under the school which was why Miguel had to divert power from the school to power the lift and systems in the complex below.  
  
The lift came to a stop and John stepped off, it wouldn't be long now.  
  
Mr. Barkin made his way across the hall to the opposite side of the front building and burst through the door. He was outside again on the covered path that led straight and into the main building. He walked forward a little and turned to knock on the door to the office.  
  
He stopped however as his eyes caught sight of something in the secondary courtyard. A large hole was blown open on one side of the lawn. Where the hell did that come from? Mr. Barkin said, placing the burlap sack down in front of the door. He moved down the concrete path and peered down the large hole. A small metal panel sat to one side of the hole. Mr. Barkin's curiosity took over and he jumped down into the dirt depression and grabbed the edge of the metal panel.  
  
Spying a pair of hinges on one side, Mr. Barkin pulled toward his chest, the heavy metal creaking. The steel trap door swung to the other side of the hinges and stood suspended in midair, exposing the dark tunnel it had concealed. Mr. Barkin reached into his back pack and pulled out a dull green stick of plastic. He took it in both hands and snapped it. The chemicals mixed and the flare shined a bright green. Mr. Barkin tossed it down the shaft and saw it come to a stop in a matter of seconds.  
  
The shaft wasn't as deep as he had thought. Curious to know where the shaft led, Mr. Barkin grabbed onto the ladder and began to descend.  
  
Kim sat with her leg propped on a desk. She and Sam had been discussing things just to create conversation and prevent the eerie silence that surely would have come. Sam couldn't seem to keep still for some reason, always fiddling around with something. He had tossed a tarp over the corpse on the floor though it didn't hide the smell that well. The gruesome scene in Mr. Emerson's office however, did not emanate a very bad smell as long as they kept the door shut and a towel stuffed under it.  
  
Sam rummaged around the small supply closet where he had found the tarp and towel. He was trying to find some kind of spray to hide the smell as it seemed to be driving him crazy.  
  
At last he emerged from the closet with a small can in his hand. Kim had learned to ignore the smell but she didn't mind if it was gotten rid of. Sam went over to the tarp, shook the can and sprayed out a white mist in its direction. He shook the spray back and forth and then in the direction of the door. He stopped, shook the can again and then ran the length of the large office, spraying the pine scent as he ran. "Sam I'm pretty sure that's enough," Kim said, coughing. "Sorry, but I just really hate that smell, I don't understand how you can just ignore it." Sam said walking over to her Kim.  
  
Kim began to worry about Ron and how many of her friends were probably dead. Monique, the cheer squad, even Bonnie were probably gone or walking the halls as one of those zombies. Kim wondered if it hurt when turning into one of those creatures, slowly loosing your grasp on reality, your mind beginning to dissolve until the only thought on it was to eat.  
  
Her eyes began to well up and she gulped and took a deep breath, not wanting show a sign of weakness. Sam could already tell that there was something disturbing her, besides the fact that they were trapped in a school filled with the living dead that is. "What's the matter," Sam said quietly. Kim looked over at him; she had momentarily forgotten he was there. "I just. I'm just sad that my friends are out there, probably dead, and I can't do a thing to help them." She said, a rasp in her.  
  
"I can't really relate since I don't really have any friends, at least not in this city, I'm not exactly a social butterfly," Sam said slouching back on an office chair. "What about your parents?" Kim asked. "Their on a business trip in Europe right know," Sam replied easily. "Lucky you," Kim replied, a hint of venom in her voice, but low enough so Sam didn't hear.  
  
"So Kim, I hear you have a crush on this guy. Josh something," Sam asked trying to be as smooth as possible and not let the hatred inside him pass his lips. "Well I pretty much gave up on Josh since things weren't exactly going very smoothly," Kim answered surprised at the question. "Really.uh, I'm sorry to hear about that," Sam said, nearly sliding out of the office chair.  
  
"Well. are you seeing anyone as of now?" Sam said, barely able to contain his glee. "I guess I like this one guy," Kim said a bit shyly. Sam felt his spirits plummet as fast as they had risen. "Oh. well who?" Sam asked, clenching his fist. "Don't take this the wrong way Sam but I really don't know you well enough to divulge that kind of information." Kim snapped.  
  
"I see, well I am going to search the desks again" Sam said standing and walking around the corner to the other side of the office. As soon as he was out of sight he mouthed out a series of silent curses. He hoped whoever the guy was he was having his heart ripped out just like him.  
  
Ron felt like his heart had been ripped out as Bonnie's body slumped to the cold floor. Even if it was Bonnie and even if she was a mindless, flesh eating zombie, Ron still felt as though he just murdered someone. He put his back to the wall and slid to the floor, the berretta still hot in his hand. She was gone anyway, as gone as if she was buried six feet under. I didn't kill her since she was already dead. Ron thought to himself. "It was as logical as self defense," Ron said out loud. "She would have killed me if I hadn't shot first." He added.  
  
He still had a job to do however, he could justify his actions later. Standing back on his feet Ron pulled open the cover to the grid distribution box. "Oh crap," Ron said as he stared at the jumble of wires and sockets that filled every inch of the two by three foot metal container.  
  
"Ok, I can do this," Ron said, taking a deep breath. He peered at a metal panel that took up about two thirds of the space inside the container. The panel had several round plugs slotted into a line of ports that ran all the way down the panel. Each plug had a label next to it, such as: Main building outlet, Front building outlet, Side building outlet, etc. Ron ran his eyes down the list until he came across a likely looking space.  
  
"What do we have here?" Ron asked himself as he peered at the port labeled 'Main light'; it was the only port missing a plug. Ron continued down the list of labels until he came to a port that was missing a label. "That's odd." Ron said. He also noticed each port was labeled with a color and that the corresponding wire went into that port, logically.  
  
The 'main light' port was outlined with blue. Ron hurried, quickly searching through the mass of intertwined, multi colored wires. Locating the thin strand of blue plastic, he followed it down to where it ended- on the unlabeled port. "I'm guessing you don't belong here," Ron said as he yanked the plug loose and reinserted it into its matching port.  
  
A few seconds went by and Ron thought he had replaced the wrong wire and was about to try again when the dim lights overhead flickered and brightened to the full extent of their capacity. "Score one for the good guys!" Ron cheered, throwing his fist into the air.  
  
John pulled the disable lever down on the wall, thus deactivating the trap. Umbrella had set up various traps in a series of rooms to prevent intruders from tampering with the bomb cache. Very few knew how to bypass the deadly defenses but fortunately John was one of them. The floor, walls and ceiling of this first room were covered with pressure sensitive panels, each with numerous holes on their surface. If someone should step on one of these panels, a cluster of meter long, titanium spikes would spring up from the holes and impale them.  
  
The catch was however that some of the panels were loaded with spikes and some were not. Every panel had holes in it, whether fake or not, the only way to tell the difference was that the safe panels were a slightly lighter color then the loaded ones. If you were lucky enough to pick the right color, there was only one clear path to the other side of the room. You didn't have time to think about the right path however as moments after entering the room, the door slams shut and the wall begins to move forward, forcing you over the panels. This room had been pretty simple but the next was bound to be more difficult. His briefing had mentioned something about buzz saws. The loud screeching sound of metal against metal pierced the air and then the room went dark.  
  
Auxiliary lights flickered on, bathing the room with a reddish glow. "Damn you, Miguel!" John shouted. The motion tracker on his belt chose that moment to start beeping. John forgot about Miguel's incompetence for a moment and thought about who could be down here. Maybe a licker or something crawled down the shaft John thought.  
  
He reached for the activation lever and pushed it back down, resetting the trap. Whatever or whoever was following would pay dearly for their medaling. The heavy doors separating the different rooms of the underground complex fortunately ran on auxiliary power and slid apart once John tapped the green access key.  
  
He walked through into the next room and the challenge that waited. 


End file.
